Refugees

(asked on 13th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the safe and legal routes to the UK which are available to (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers as of 13 January 2022.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 27th January 2022

The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK. Since 2015 we have resettled over 26,000 refugees through our safe and legal routes directly from regions of conflict and instability.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January and will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.

In addition to our resettlement schemes, we also operate the following safe and legal routes:

  • Refugee family reunion, which enables the spouse or partner and children of a refugee sponsor who are under 18 years of age to join their family member in the UK. More than 39,500 family reunion visas have been granted since 2015
  • Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), for current or former locally employed Afghan staff working for or alongside the UK Government. We have relocated over 8,000 people under ARAP so far, with more continuing to arrive.
  • A bespoke immigration route for British National (Overseas) status holders and their family members, which reflects the UK’s historic and moral commitment to people affected by the restrictions on their rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. As of 30 September 2021, there have been approximately 88,800 applications, with 76,176 successful grants since the route launched on 31 January.
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Our New Plan for Immigration demonstrates a strengthening of Government-backed safe and legal routes to the UK, so those in need of protection don’t have to put their lives in the hands of people smugglers.

You can find more information on our safe and legal routes at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-and-borders-bill-safe-and-legal-routes-factsheet/nationality-and-borders-bill-factsheet-safe-and-legal-routes

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